In the first interview of the year, Missouri State Senator Jolie Justus discusses some of the most important issues facing Missourians in 2008.

Justus represents Missouri’s Tenth District, which includes a large part of Kansas City and all of Grandview.

The first-term Senator from Kansas City renews her call for universal health care in Missouri and for increasing the state's child care subsidy for the poor, saying that change "…directly impacts the economic development of this state" by keeping more people in the workforce.

Justus also defends the "Missouri Plan" for selecting judges during the interview. Calling the current system important to keeping the three branches of government separate and equal, she claims the current efforts to change it are politically motivated.

You can learn more about Sen. Jolie Justus at http://joliejustus.blogspot.com/